Beneath The Surface - subtle tension cue

[Pvgeldrop]

Hi everyone,

Working on subtle tension cues, which is either a lot harder than it seems, ooorrrr.. I'm making it much harder than it needs to be. We'll see. Anyway, I was wondering if people here think this track suits the listing below: Beneath The Surface

Would really appreciate some feedback on this one!

Thanks in advance,

Paul

The listing:

Lots of SUBTLE TENSION INSTRUMENTAL CUES are needed by the CEO of a great International Music Library with lots of success and tons of notable placements. They're currently searching for new material from TAXI members for Film and TV placements!

This Library is searching for Mid-Tempo Instrumental Cues that could be found on a playlist with the following references:

Selling Sunset (From 7:18 - 8:20)

Below Deck (From 11:15 - 12:00)

Temptation Island (From 2:15 - 3:23)

Please submit well-crafted Instrumental Cues with minimal compositions that could work great under dialogue! Your submissions should have subtle, tension-filled melodies and arrangements that develop gradually and consistently while maintaining a minimal approach overall. Please ensure your tracks stay on the sparse side of things, avoiding anything over the top, bombastic, or attention-grabbing. Your submissions should include tense motifs, minimalistic rhythms/pulses, and lots of mood-setting ambiance. Instrumentation in the general stylistic ballpark of the references will work best, such as synth pulses, piano, strings, synth pads, etc. Please be sure any virtual instruments you use are high quality and not dated-sounding.

[RealPickle]

Hi Paul,

Your link isn't working. It takes me to your SC page but says the track can't be found.

[Pvgeldrop]

How odd (in hindsight, no, not odd, I used the wrong link, silly me)! Let me fix that, sorry!

Here is the updated link: Beneath The Surface

I'll also update the original post. Sorry about that again!

[superkons]

I quite like it! It is so subtle I can barely hear the additions you include in every section Jokes aside, I believe it works, although the references (I could listen to the first 2 only, by the way) feature a wee thicker instrumentation and have transitional elements as well

[Pvgeldrop]

Thanks for the feedback, Marco! I find that writing cues like this is a lot trickier than I had anticipated, but I'm determined to master them in time. Especially the depth of instrumentation versus being subtle enough is tricky, so I'll definitely give the refs a few more listens and adjust accordingly.
The transitional elements are also something I'll look into!

Thanks again!

[AlonMarcus]

Hi Paul,
I don’t see this listing— is it currently running?

A similar one came up a few weeks ago, and I submitted a cue called (surprisingly) Beneath the Surface. I think it’s time for me to stop using ChatGPT for title ideas—I’ll be renaming mine!

I really liked your cue. You’re absolutely right about the art of balancing minimalism—keeping it unobtrusive—while still creating mood and development. I tend to overdo melodies and development, so take my comment with a grain of salt. I just felt there wasn’t quite enough movement or variation between sections. Maybe subtle transitions, sound design touches, and rhythmic elements could help add the necessary development.

[macomposer]

Hi Paul,

Sounds perfect to me... Or you might get the dreaded "needs more development." I agree with you that these are harder than they sound at first listen...

If this is for the current listing that has the Selling Sunset scenes, I couldn't even really hear the music underneath. It was really hard to focus on the music with all the activity that was happening in the scenes. But C'est la vie.

I wish you the best with it,
Mark

[Pvgeldrop]

Hi Paul,
I don’t see this listing— is it currently running?

A similar one came up a few weeks ago, and I submitted a cue called (surprisingly) Beneath the Surface. I think it’s time for me to stop using ChatGPT for title ideas—I’ll be renaming mine!

I really liked your cue. You’re absolutely right about the art of balancing minimalism—keeping it unobtrusive—while still creating mood and development. I tend to overdo melodies and development, so take my comment with a grain of salt. I just felt there wasn’t quite enough movement or variation between sections. Maybe subtle transitions, sound design touches, and rhythmic elements could help add the necessary development.

This is a Dispatch call that's going until the 13th of March, so yep, still running if you have Dispatch.

Honestly, I did NOT use ChatGPT for the name! It had provided a different name beforehand, but while I was working on it, I thought this one was more suitable than the one ChatGPT had come up with.

I think, after revisiting this cue, I'm going to keep this one as is, and perhaps add more variation to the one I'm working on now, purely to hedge my bets, as it's still very hard for me to find the right level of subtleness. I guess we'll find out after the screener's judgement if that was the right call or not.

Thanks for listening and giving me feedback!

[Pvgeldrop]

Hi Paul,

Sounds perfect to me... Or you might get the dreaded "needs more development." I agree with you that these are harder than they sound at first listen...

If this is for the current listing that has the Selling Sunset scenes, I couldn't even really hear the music underneath. It was really hard to focus on the music with all the activity that was happening in the scenes. But C'est la vie.

I wish you the best with it,
Mark

Thanks, Mark, I do dread the 'needs more development', but I'll add more development to the one I'm working on now. At least one of the cues I'll be sending in must be hitting the right balance.. I hope. We'll see what the judges say!